The World Health Organisation (WHO) has welcomed the first evacuations of wounded patients out of the Gaza Strip but stressed that thousands of injured civilians and people with chronic illnesses also needed treatment, AFP reports.

“The WHO welcomes Egypt’s decision to accept 81 injured and sick people from the Gaza Strip for treatment,” the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean regional branch said in a statement.

The WHO said Al-Arish Hospital, in the closest major city to the border, would be the main first referral hospital.

“It has fully equipped resuscitation and intensive care facilities, and a range of surgical teams to manage severe injuries, including major trauma and burns,” the organisation said. Onward referral arrangements to second-line hospitals in Egypt are also in place, it added.